Defense cooperation ties with India bolstered

NEW DELHI – Japan and India affirmed plans Saturday to “further strengthen” defense cooperation against the backdrop of an increasingly assertive China.

The agreement was reached at a meeting in New Delhi between Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his Indian counterpart, Manmohan Singh.

“A strong India and a strong Japan coming together can do wonders,” Abe said after the annual summit meeting.

“The relations between Japan and India have the greatest potential of any bilateral relationship anywhere in the world,” he added.

The two leaders “reaffirmed their determination to further strengthen bilateral defense cooperation,” the joint statement said.

Singh and Abe also “renewed their resolution” to conduct joint maritime exercises on a “regular basis with increased frequency.”

Coming against the backdrop of a bitter territorial row over islands in the East China Sea, analysts have said Abe’s three-dayIndia trip will be keenly watched by Beijing.

Underscoring the importance of ties with Japan, Abe was set to be guest of honor Sunday at the annual Republic Day parade when New Delhi wheels out its nuclear-capable military hardware and displays its cultural diversity with colorful floats.

India, which has its own simmering Himalayan border row with China that flared into war in 1962, has also been cultivating deeper ties with its regional neighbors to offset China’s might.

New Delhi traditionally invites as its guest for the high-profile Republic Day parade leaders of countries with which it is seeking closer relations.

Since coming to power in 2012, Abe has trotted the globe, partly in his self-appointed role as salesman for Japan Inc., but also to seek counterweights to China’s clout.

Abe, who has been accompanied by a heavyweight business delegation, and Singh, held “extensive talks” on bilateral, regional and global issues, the statement said.

Later, Abe announced a $2 billion low-interest loan for extending the Delhi Metro and vowed stepped-up economic cooperation on other infrastructure projects.

India and Japan are natural allies. India, with vast land and population would greatly benefit from Japanese technological prowess and financial investments, while Japan finds an all weather ally, which has the ability to counter Chinese clout in all respects.